Pope to Vatican: 'Act decisively' on sex abuse cases

By Laura Smith-Spark. Livia Borghese and Richard Allen Greene, CNN

Updated 11:37 AM ET, Fri April 5, 2013

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – People pray after learning of the newly elected Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 13. The former Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina has made history as the first pontiff from Latin America.

Hide Caption

1 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Catholics take part in a Mass in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Thursday, March 14. The faithful celebrated the election of the first non-European pope in nearly 1,300 years of church history.

Hide Caption

2 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Melbourne Archbishop Denis Hart leads celebrations at St Paul's Cathedral in the Australian city on March 14 after the Vatican announcement.

Hide Caption

3 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Parishioners react to the announcement of the new pope at a midday Mass on March 13 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.

Hide Caption

4 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – People cheer the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina as Pope Francis at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires on March 13.

Hide Caption

5 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Employees of the evening newspaper La Hora in Guatemala City, Guatemala, review printed editions with the announcement of the election of Pope Francis.

Hide Caption

6 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – A young man waves a flag of the Vatican after the announcement of the election of Argentina's cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, as Pope Francis in Guatemala City.

Hide Caption

7 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Fortunatus Nwachukwu, in white, the Vatican's ambassador to Nicaragua, applauds as he watches a local television station announcing the new pope with others in Managua, Nicaragua.

Hide Caption

8 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Argentinians celebrate after the announcement that former Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires.

Hide Caption

9 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – The faithful celebrate at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires.

Hide Caption

10 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – A woman is overcome with emotion at the Metropolitan Cathedral after the election.

Hide Caption

11 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – President Barack Obama answers a question about the new pope after attending the House Republican Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Hide Caption

12 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – People gathered outside the Se Cathedral in in Sao Paulo listen to the announcement of the new pope on March 13.

Hide Caption

13 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Shelly Guadelupe of Puerto Rico cries at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

Hide Caption

14 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Florencia Silva, right, of Trumbull, Connecticut, and Valentina Bruner of Peru tune in to a webcast of newly elected Pope Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York.

Hide Caption

15 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Parishioners ring the 100-year-old bells in the tower of Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver in honor of the new pope.

Hide Caption

16 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – The faithful listen as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina is announced as the new pope at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Hide Caption

17 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez celebrates the midday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in recognition of the new pope.

Hide Caption

18 of 19

Photos: The world reacts to new pope19 photos

The world reacts to new pope – Catholic Monsignor Michael McPartland gestures his approval outside St. Mary's church after learning of newly elected Pope Francis in Stanley, Falkland Islands.

Hide Caption

19 of 19

Story highlights

Victims' group calls for action not words, says Francis should take a new path

Francis calls on the Church hierarchy to "act decisively" against sexual abuse

He urges measures to boost protection for children, the Vatican says

The Catholic Church has been rocked by claims of priests sexually abusing minors

Pope Francis has told a senior Vatican official to "act decisively" against sexual abuse and carry out "due proceedings against the guilty," the Vatican announced Friday.

Francis last month took the helm of a Roman Catholic Church that has been rocked in recent years by allegations of priests sexually abusing minors.

Francis recommended that the Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "act decisively with regard to cases of sexual abuse, first of all by promoting measures for the protection of minors, as well as in offering assistance to those who have suffered abuse, carrying out due proceedings against the guilty," the Vatican said.

JUST WATCHED

New pope, new legacy

MUST WATCH

His instructions to move decisively, "continuing along the lines set by Benedict XVI," came in an audience with Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith --or the Vatican's main doctrinal enforcer.

Benedict held that role before he became pope.

Francis called for the Church hierarchy to "formulate and implement" the necessary directives to address an area he described as "so important" to the Church's credibility and worship.

The pope said that the "victims of abuse are present in a particular way in his prayers for those who are suffering," the Vatican said.

It's the first time Francis has publicly addressed the issue since becoming pope.

The U.S.-based group SNAP, or the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, reacted with skepticism to the news from the Vatican.

Barbara Dorris, victims outreach director for SNAP, said there was a need for action rather than words.

"Once again, as has happened hundreds of times already, a top Catholic official says he's asking another top Catholic official to take action about pedophile priests and complicit bishops," she said in a statement. "Big deal."

The new pope should be ordering a change of track rather than a continuation on the same course, Dorris said.

"It's tragic that Pope Francis is asking a top aide to stay on the irresponsible path charted by Pope Benedict," she said. "It's tragic that a pope who's shown a willingness to send signals that hint at change in several ways is not signaling that he wants no change in how the church deals with child sex crimes and cover ups."

She called for concrete action to protect vulnerable children, "not old vague pledges that help a widely-discredited institution protect its reputation."

Benedict XVI said many times that abusers should be prosecuted, but was accused by SNAP and other victims' groups of doing too little.

He stepped down as pontiff at the end of February.

Benedict spoke with some victims of sexual abuse by priests on papal visits to countries including the United States and the United Kingdom, where he expressed his "deep sorrow" over the scandal. The Vatican selected those whom he met.

Members of SNAP in Illinois have asked Francis to meet with survivors of abuse by priests.

Last month, one alleged victim of priest sex abuse in Los Angeles, Michael Duran, urged Francis to give Catholics new hope and make priests and cardinals accountable for their actions in cases where children have been sexually abused by clergy.

Duran said he was sexually abused for three years by a Los Angeles Archdiocese priest beginning in 1983, when Duran was 11. The priest has since been defrocked and a lawsuit against him and the archdiocese has been settled.